Over two construction phases, workers have installed, improved or renovated ball fields, a splash pad, benches, streetscaping, landscaping, a pavilion, lighting, a roller hockey rink, a fitness area and other amenities, the mayor said.

"This is just another example" of improving the quality of life in Stamford, he said. "This is why we are so great."

Randy Skigen, the Board of Representatives president, said Scalzi Park has always been a crown jewel that became tarnished over the years.

"The shine is back on," he said.

Skigen said the park's trails will eventually lead to Mill River Park, which also underwent renovations and reopened in May.

City Engineer Lou Casolo said overwhelming evidence shows that parks make communities better. At 48 acres, he said Scalzi is Stamford's third largest park. "There remains very little that my department hasn't touched here," Casolo said.

Scalzi Park, located off Bridge Street, has been a Stamford institution stretching back to when it was called Woodside Park. The park was dedicated in 1963 to John A. Scalzi Jr., a city official and celebrated athlete who died in a 1962 car accident.

City Rep. Philip Giordano, D-10, who celebrates his 86th birthday next month, noted on Tuesday that the park is older than he is. He remembers swimming in the Rippowam River and playing pick-up games of football and baseball at Woodside Park.

"We used to call the field over there, which is Cubeta Stadium, Tiger Field," he said. "You made your own bases with a rock or something."

City officials say the park is now one of the city's most diverse, with activities that include tennis, bocce, handball, roller hockey, skating, biking, hiking, walking, basketball, volleyball, baseball and softball. There's also a climbing tower and zip line.

Work on the first phase of construction began in June 2011; the second phase started in November 2011 and was finished last month.

On Tuesday morning, the park was packed with people walking and playing sports. Several children were taking part in a summer tennis camp, while others played on the playgrounds and on the new splash pad.

As Xiomara Sanchez watched Ayden, her 3-year-old son, jump and play in the spraying water, she seemed excited about the new amenities.

"Our point was to come to the park," Sanchez said. "I didn't even know this was here."

After the ribbon cutting, Joe Andreana, a Parks and Recreation Commission member, brought his granddaughter to the playground for 2- to 5-year-olds. Under the playscape, there is now state-of-the-art padding, he said.

"They had a kiddie park here, but this is totally renovated," Andreana said.

Looking out at the park, Andreana said the nearby pavilion and splash pad are new additions, as well as the lights, fencing at the skate park, paving, curbs, bike lane and walkway around the perimeter.

"You used to have to walk on the road," he said.

Andreana said crews this week are resurfacing handball courts and a third phase of the project will bring about even more changes.

"We don't have to draw people to Scalzi Park, this is the busiest park around," he said. "We're trying to maintain the beauty of Stamford parks."